Molly Hooper, You Are Brilliant
by WholockAllThings
Summary: Molly Hooper, eight and a half, is by herself one rainy afternoon- when a man knocks at the door and changes her life.


When Molly Hooper was younger, she met a man who changed her life.

She was at home when she met him, the rain was falling outside the window and the sky was a dreary grey. She was drawing, as little girls do, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Now, normally, Molly wouldn't have answered- it's not a good idea to open the door to strangers when you're home alone. Her mother told her that- but something inside her head told her that the person on the other side of the door will change her life. So she got up from the table, walked into that hallway, and opened the door.

Her brain was right.

From the moment she saw that croaked grin she knew this man was someone important. Completely drenched, wearing a brown trench coat, a brown-and-blue pinstriped suit and white converse, the man smiled even wider and said, "Hello there, I'm the Doctor." Molly smiled back at the man as he continued, "what's your name?"

"Molly Hooper." The Doctor knelt down and held out his hand. She took it and shook it as he said, "nice to meet you, Molly Hooper. Are your parents home?" She shook her head, he looked a little shocked at this and said, "what? They've left you all alone? How old are you?"

"I'm eight and a half, and perfectly capable of looking after myself, mister." Molly stood up straighter and held her head high. The Doctor grinned, "I don't doubt it, Miss Hooper. Can I come in?" She shook her head, and the Doctor's face fell. "Oh? Why not?"

"Mummy says I'm not meant to let strangers into the house." She's not meant to open the door to them either, but it's too late now, she thought. A smirk spread across the Doctor's face. "Well, I'm not a stranger, am I? You know my name. The Doctor." Molly thought about this for a moment, then let him inside.

She has never regretted that decision.

She lead him into the kitchen, quietly. The Doctor wandering in slower. "Do you want a towel, mister?" The Doctor looked like he was a million miles away. He jumped suddenly, like he was just realised he was daydreaming, blinked several times and said, "Yes! Sorry."

"You alright Mister?" He grinned, crookedly, "I'm grand." Molly smiled back, sweetly, and skipped out of the room to get the man a towel. As soon as she was gone, The Doctor pulled out the sonic and began to scan. It must be here, it MUST.

"Sorry it's pink, Mister. All our white towels were washed in with the red. What's that?" Molly had snuck back in the room so quietly, and the Doctor was so concentrated on what he was doing, he practically had a double heart attack when the voice came out of the blue. "Oh! Hello, thank you. This? It's a sonic screwdriver. It's a screwdriver. That's sonic." He smiled crookedly again, but Molly was suspicious now. Molly was smart. And Molly never left a mystery unsolved. She thought for a moment, and decided that bluntness was the best way forward. She just opened her mouth to talk when she realised the Doctor was looking at her drawings.

Now, you'd expect that these would be just the ordinary drawings of an eight-and-a-half-year-old. But they were actually _incredibly_ detailed medical drawings, copied by sight out of medical books of all kinds. These drawings were incredibly important to Molly, and she hated it when people stared at them. But she couldn't bring herself to take them away from him, because the way he was looking at them… No one ever looked at them like that before. "You want to be a doctor, don't you?" Molly nodded, and replied, "Pathologist." He grinned even wider. "These are brilliant," he said, "you are brilliant." She shook her head. "No I'm not. I'm probably never going to even make it to medical school. Mummy says it's too expensive and I'd never make it through anyway." The Doctor frowned at this as he looked at her face. "You really believe that, don't you?" She didn't say anything, simply started packing away her books and drawings, when the Doctor placed his hand on hers. She stopped and looked up at him, his eyes dark brown and so old. He knelt down in front of her, and held her hands. "Listen to me, Molly Hooper. You are incredibly bright, brave and brilliant. You hear? Molly Hooper, you are brilliant. And don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Everyone is capable of being amazing, and you already are." Molly couldn't help but smile. A tear fell down her cheek, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she was special.

Suddenly a large bang came from the floor above them, the Doctor looked about whispering "pears" under his breath in a scared and angered manner. He looked back at Molly, and said quickly, "listen to me, Molly. You're going to have to trust me, and you're going to have to be brave. Do you think you can do that? Can you be brave for me, Molly Hooper?" She stopped for a moment, everything around her began to move in slow motion to her, and before she knew what she was getting herself into, she nodded her head. He smiled again, and held her hand. "Don't let go of my hand, and trust me." She nodded. He ran over to the door that lead from the hallway into the kitchen and used the sonic to close it. He grabbed her hand again and looked at her. Trying to hide his fear, he whispered, "run." And so they did.


End file.
